


Castling Queenside

by wrennette



Series: With This Horcrux... [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cup horcrux, Dark Lady Delphinia, Dark Lord Tom, Delphinia is female Harry Potter, F/M, Female Harry Potter, Funerals, Horcruxes, Inferi, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rough Sex, Slytherins scheming, locket horcrux, ring horcrux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 04:35:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7560325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrennette/pseuds/wrennette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Dark Lord brings his Lady home to Hogwarts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Castling Queenside

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place two years post _With This Horcrux_. Tom is 21, Delphinia 17, their son Sarpedon is almost 2. This won't make much sense I don't think if you haven't read the two stories preceding it in the series.

“Dumbledore nearly died last night,” Severus said one morning at breakfast as Delphinia split open her soft poached eggs and watched the brilliant golden yoke run over her toast. On her lap, the Heir of Slytherin squirmed, then turned and squeezed her swollen and sensitive breast. He was surprisingly strong for a boy not yet two years of age. Tom lowered the newspaper, looking at Severus over the top, and Severus smirked at the clear impatience on the Dark Lord’s face.

“It seems he found something of yours, my Lord,” Severus said, and produced a small item from his pocket. He tossed it at Tom, who snatched it out of the air. In Tom’s hand, the shrinking charm faded, overpowered by Tom’s magic. The item turned out to be an old lead lined stone casket, not quite the width of Delphinia’s palm on each side. Tom flipped the lid open, whatever was inside clattering about with the sharp motion. 

The thick feeling of Tom’s magic roiled over them all, and Delphinia moaned softly, rubbing her thighs together as she slicked with arousal. Tom and Delphinia both had become accustomed to keeping their sheer power strictly contained, and it was only when they were fucking that Delphinia felt Tom’s magic interact with her own so powerfully, and so it affected her intimately. Tom overturned the casket, and an ancient ring clattered out onto the table. The band was a twist of buttery yellow gold, and set in it was a large, flat black stone.

“I suppose you kept him from crossing over?” Tom asked, staring intently at the ring, rather than Severus. They both knew that the Potions Master was no longer capable of lying to the Dark Lord.

“I did, as I hadn’t realized at first it was something of yours that inflicted the damage. But the curse can only be contained. It will kill him eventually, no matter what I do,” Severus said with a negligent shrug. The man Delphinia had once known as the strictest of teachers had learned that he could relax in private with his Master and Mistress. They were his family now, and he their devoted servant. 

Delphinia reached out sharply, clamping her thin fingers around Sarpedon’s chubby little hand. His verdant eyes were fixed on the gleaming ring, but if it was cursed, Delphinia would not risk him. She had never anticipated she might adore anyone more than Tom, but if she had to chose, Delphinia would chose her son every time. Tom was well aware of that fact, and while it irked him to come in second to anyone, it also pleased him that Delphinia would do anything for his son and heir.

“It is safe now, the curse will have transferred to Dumbledore,” Tom said. He reached out, plucking the ring from the table. “Perfectly safe.” Delphinia nodded, but did not release her white knuckled hold on Sarpedon’s hand. Tom gave her that smirky little smile and twirled the ring on the tip of his finger, then pushed it down _clink_ against the white gold of his Lord of Slytherin ring. “Let him live until the curse takes him or put him out of his misery as you please Severus,” Tom directed. “I mean to have you the next Headmaster of Hogwarts.”

“My Lord?” Severus asked somewhat incredulously, his dark eyebrows sweeping up his high forehead.

“I well know that your current biased persona is just that, a persona,” Tom said with a sly smile. “The school has suffered under both Dumbledore and his predecessor. You are my only loyal servant with the knowledge and capability to right that particular ship. If you should require any of the others as professors, they are yours to command, but I will have you Headmaster.”

“I’m honoured by your trust my Lord,” Severus said with quiet sincerity. “I will do my utmost to uphold your honour on this matter.” With that, the topic was closed. Tom did not like discussing business at the table, and Delphinia despised business talk in front of their young son. While she was active in the Dark Lord’s movement, her role was as the more publically acceptable face. Despite that Dumbledore frequently and fervently lambasted Tom as being the Dark Lord, most didn’t truly believe that, especially with Delphinia, the Girl Who Lived, visibly happy at his side.

Over the next months, Delphinia saw the already derogatory stories about Dumbledore in the paper shift. His truthfulness had already been called into question with Delphinia’s original disappearance, along with the safety of Hogwarts. His current smear campaign against Tom had incurred the wrath of the Ministry, Minister Fudge not wanting to deal with the rise of the Dark Lord and therefore denying the existence of the Dark Lord. 

Tom was perfectly fine with that. After all, he had never intended to be seen as a resurrection of Voldemort. That alias was a loss. Far better to be Lord Peverell, and quietly pressure his followers into political obedience. Not that there weren’t occasional nights of violence of course. But there were always bad seeds, Tom claimed. There was always crime. And after the burning of Ermingard, the former Death Eaters had understood that their former allegiance would not ensure their future protection. After all, if the powerful Malfoys were attacked by the Dark Lord, no one was safe, save maybe those entombed in Azkaban. 

Of course, that assumption had been proven false not long after the wedding. Tom had spoken with the Dementors, and the incarcerated Death Eaters had started quietly dropping like flies thereafter, terrifying even further those still free. Some hadn’t taken the realization well, and although Tom never spoke of that night, Delphinia knew he had massacred many whom he had once named among his most devoted followers. The Dark Lord didn’t need the taint of those who were unable to escape Ministry justice in his ranks, nor did he desire those who might threaten to depose him.

With Tom stepping into the limelight at their marriage though, things had shifted once more. Between the votes for the seats controlled by his own bloodline and those he controlled through Delphinia, Tom was immediately a power in the Wizengamot. Not all of his former followers had been pleased, especially as some of his proposed legislation seemed at least on the surface to penalize their interests. Dumbledore had been a thorn in Tom’s side as well, but the public’s delirious joy at Delphinia’s survival had taken precedence over any warning the aged Headmaster might care to give.

Delphinia as Lady Peverell had taken magical society by storm. Despite her age, and lack of etiquette training, the matrons had to accept her or be castigated themselves, no matter their previous standing or lengthy heritage. Delphinia had spearheaded many of Tom’s initiatives; her smiling face presenting the need for an orphanage for magical children, to be housed in the refurbished Potter estate, Hartsfield Hall in the Cotswolds. She had a seat on the Board of Governors of St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies, and also on the Hogwarts Board of Governors. She championed the founding of a Children’s Welfare Department in the Ministry, and gave generously to the Witches Auxiliary funds for war orphans and squibs.

The fervour over Delphinia and her opinions had only increased when she announced her first pregnancy, and the pictures of her and Tom’s Heir were sought after to such degree that Sarpedon was likely the most recognizable baby in magical Britain. The mania alternately amused and irritated Delphinia. She liked very much though, being able to actually use her fame for something productive. At Hogwarts, it had only garnered her unwanted attention. Now, at least she could direct all that attention at a worthwhile cause.

Shifting, Delphinia unbuttoned her bodice as Sarpedon whinged. He latched on and began to suckle eagerly, his chubby little hands kneading her breast. Delphinia smiled softly, humming softly as she watched her son feed. He was an adorable child, although she recognized she was biased. He had her and her mother’s eyes, and thankfully Tom’s soft black curls rather than her own rather riotous locks. At the other side of the table, Severus flushed and averted his eyes. 

Over the following months, Severus updated them periodically on Dumbledore. The Headmaster, he reported, was trying to determine where Tom’s other horcruxes might be. Unfortunately for the Headmaster, the diadem had been the most easily accessible to him, and Tom had retrieved _it_ years ago. The book had never been known to Dumbledore, and while it was clear he had made the connection with the ring, it was unclear whether he knew that Delphinia had once been a horcrux, or the locations of the others. 

As April gave way to May, Severus contacted them in the small hours of morning. Dumbledore was dead. Tom nodded, but closed the floo connection without speaking. Concentrating, he called through the Dark Mark. Shortly, Lucius Malfoy appeared. Delphinia scowled at the blond and her husband both. It was the middle of the fucking night, and although Sarpedon slept through the night, he also had a great deal of energy during the day. 

“I need to retrieve something,” Tom said, somewhat defensive upon seeing Delphinia’s scowl. 

“That’s great, does blondie need to be in our bedroom?” Delphinia bit back. Lucius grit his teeth silently. Delphinia, he was well aware, was not a fan of the Malfoy family in general or himself in specific. “And what are you going to get?”

“Something Dumbledore may have spoken about with others,” Tom said rather cryptically, but Delphinia knew what he meant. A horcrux.

“I’m going with you,” Delphinia declared, tossing off her blankets and rising. Lucius turned away, blushing profusely and cursing his ivory-pale complexion. Delphinia didn’t wear much to sleep in, a black chiffon and lace negligee, and nothing underneath. Tom let out a wordless hiss, eyes narrowing at the blond. 

“You should stay here,” Tom said firmly, turning back to his wife. She narrowed her own eyes, straightening her spine. 

“I am going with you,” Delphinia reiterated, enunciating each syllable sharply. She snapped her fingers, and an elf appeared, looking between his master and mistress warily. “Fetch my duelling robes and black cloak. Wake Miss Brown to attend to Sarpedon,” she directed, and with a quiet **pop** the elf disappeared. It returned shortly and with a **snap** had Delphinia changed into the requested clothing. 

“Well?” Delphinia asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow at her husband. “Are we going or not?” Tom sighed, and with a snap summoned the elf again, this time requesting his own robes. Lucius remained studiously turned away, more than a little nervous to be seeing his Master and Mistress arguing. 

Shortly, Tom apparated the three of them to a high, windswept bluff. The ocean crashed below, and Delphinia tipped her head up into the wind, inhaling the salty air deeply. Tom took a few long strides, then launched himself skyward. Delphinia grinned as he wrapped her in his arms, and then they were flying, over the edge and into nothingness, the wind coming in off the ocean buffeting up under them. Tom landed them on a small stretch of bare strand, and closed his eyes. A moment later, Lucius apparated to his side in a flare of black smoke.

“Your hand,” Tom instructed Lucius, and the blond obeyed without question, but certainly not without fear. Tom silently cut Lucius’ palm and pressed it to the bare stone of the bluff. With a low rumble, the cliff face gave way, a dark path yawning open before them. Tom strode forward confidently, and Delphinia followed a step behind. Lucius brought up the rear, his wand flickering with wan light.

“There is a boat,” Tom told Lucius, and recited an archaic chant. He tossed himself into the air once more instead of boarding though, and again swept Delphinia into his arms. They crossed the foggy cavern quickly, Delphinia eyeing the still waters warily. She could feel Tom’s magic all around them, lapping at their skin like the waves at the shore. After a few minutes, she could hear the soft susurrations of the water against the hull of the small boat, and Lucius appeared slowly out of the gloom.

“Drink,” Tom directed Lucius next, gesturing at a large stone chalice, and a basin full of thick potion. Lucius scooped up a goblet full of the potion, and began to drank. His eyes bulged as the viscous liquid entered his mouth, and he darted a fearful look at the Dark Lord. “Drink,” Tom pressed, raising his hand to cover Lucius’ on the stem of the chalice. His voice carried a malicious undertone, and Delphinia slowly began to smile. 

“Really now Lucius, did you think the minor damage I did to your home would be the end of my retribution?” Tom chided, as if scolding a naughty child. Delphinia snickered, watching as sweat beaded on Lucius’ brow. “You’ll drink the basin dry,” Tom ordered, his magic weighing heavily on his words. When he spoke thus, there was no need for the _imperius_ curse. Delphinia’s smile widened into a broad grin as Lucius staggered back to the basin to refill the chalice.

It was slow, and the poison was not lethal. Lucius was soon hallucinating and gibbering in his delirium. Delphinia watched him force goblet after goblet of poison into his system. His magic flared and swirled around him, instinctively trying to protect him, but unable to disobey orders from his sworn master. There was nothing that could be done but act as the Dark Lord commanded. The Dark Lord had decided that Lucius had lived long enough, and so this would be his end. Lucius had not improved his chances by gawking at Delphinia’s unclothed form earlier.

Finally the goblet scraped against the stone of the basin, and Lucius collapsed to the ground. Tom reached into the basin and from within produced a large golden locket. He smiled, then launched himself skyward and scooped up Delphinia. Lucius staggered in the general direction of the boat, kneeling at the pool’s edge and scooping up water in his hands. The previously still water rippled, and Delphinia saw a pale, grotesque head break the surface.

 _Inferi_ , Delphinia realized as the pale, rotting corpse creatures swarmed up out of the depths. Lucius wasn’t coherent enough to register his fate until it was upon him, a small mercy. The _inferi_ pulled him under, and screaming, Lucius was submerged. Tom flew them from the cavern, then up into free air. He apparated them home without bothering to touch down. 

Delphinia gasped sharply as she bounced across the mattress. Tom flicked his fingers, and they were both naked. She stared at him, waiting, knowing that violence and victory both aroused him. With a low growl, Tom was over her on the bed, his mouth hard and cruel against hers. She opened to him greedily, sucking on his tongue and wrapping her slender legs around his hips. He ground his engorged length against her once, twice, and then he was forcing his way into her body. Delphinia groaned softly, gritting her teeth against the pain of being split open on her husband’s wide cock. 

“I want another child,” Tom growled, and Delphinia moaned, nodding dazedly. Tom thrust deep and hard, pounding into her roughly. Delphinia mewled in discomfort, and he slipped a thin hand between them. His deft fingers found her clit, and he began to frig her roughly. She mewled again, twisting and writhing against him, not sure if she liked this or not. He hitched his hips closer, grunting as he unloaded, and then began to hiss the fertility spell out, his fingers tracing the runes onto her abdomen. His magic swirled around her and then plunged in, and with a howl, Delphinia finally orgasmed as he ensured his seed would take root.

Nine days later, Delphinia stepped carefully from the carriage, steadying herself on her husband’s hand. His eyes flashed at her, and she smiled slyly, knowing well how turned on he was by both the fact that she was officially pregnant once more, and the disposition of one of his enemies. She anticipated that as during her pregnancy with their first child, Tom would become incredibly solicitous, and more attentive than ever. It didn’t hurt that early in pregnancy, Delphinia’s own libido was incredibly high. Well, her libido was always incredibly high when it came to Tom, but pregnancy tended to make her even hornier.

The tense silence caught Delphinia’s attention, and she brushed thoughts of bedding her husband aside. Glancing up, she noted the ranks of students standing curiously on the broad lawn, and Severus on the steps. She turned slightly, lifting Sarpedon from the carriage. Meeting Tom’s eyes again, she nodded, then forced her pleasant mask into place. Tom smirked, then schooled his own face to a polite blankness before turning and offering Delphinia his arm. Together, they walked up the long, silent allee of students. 

“Lord and Lady Peverell,” Severus greeted as they reached the bottom step, and stood aside with a deep bow. He did not go to his knees as he would have in private, but this was after all a very public show. “Headmaster Dumbledore lies in repose within.” They nodded in polite response, and stepped through. The massive entry hall was draped in yards upon yards of green crepe, the same shade as Delphinia’s eyes, as the killing curse, as life and death. At the center of the airy atrium sat the green velvet swathed catafalque.

Dumbledore lay atop the catafalque in repose, wearing perhaps the most sedate set of robes anyone had ever seen him in. The deep purple was embroidered heavily with golden phoenixes, and his thin, wrinkled hands were settled across his chest, over his wand. At the four corners of the bier stood the honour guard, made up of four professors. The Heads of the academic Houses would have taken the overnight watch, the other professors filling in during the daylight hours. 

Keeping her face somewhere between blank and solemn, Delphinia looked at the body of the man who had once seemed to rule her life. She had escaped, thank all the ancient gods and blessed ancestors. She had escaped, with Tom at her side, and she was his now, his beloved, body and soul. Gently she squeezed Tom’s arm, and he patted her hand gently. His jaw was clenched tight, the muscle jumping under his pale skin. He despised Dumbledore, Delphinia knew. While she wasn’t nowhere near the old man’s fan, she didn’t loathe him with the same intensity Tom did. 

Delphinia rounded the catafalque on Tom’s arm, Sarpedon’s hand clasped firmly in hers. Severus opened the doors into the Great Hall, and they entered. The students had followed them in, some remaining in the atrium, others preceding the visiting couple into the Great Hall. At head table on the dias, the central chair was draped in green crepe. Next to it though, were three chairs a touch fancier than those the professors sat in. Each was crowned in an animal sigil, the lion of Gryffindor, badger of Hufflepuff, and serpent of Slytherin. 

Curiously, Delphinia glanced up at Tom once more. Her husband’s face was closed though, his jaw muscle still straining. She bit back a sigh. She might love the git, but he was a right pain in the arse at times, and absolutely refused to accept help, despite that he’d named her his equal in all rights. Delphinia strode up the length of the hall on Tom’s arm, and he led her to stand in front of the Gryffindor chair, taking his own place in front of the Slytherin chair. From among the students a rather snotty looking boy ascended the dais. 

“Zacharias Smith, the Heir of Hufflepuff,” Tom said quietly. Delphinia looked him over critically. Tall, and she supposed decent enough looking. Boring, to her eye, but she was rather enamoured of Tom’s darker good looks. Smith stood in front of the Hufflepuff Heir’s chair, and Delphinia looked critically over the remaining students. They were all in uniform, and most were clearly upset. The Slytherins though, looked as if they could barely contain their glee. The exception was Draco Malfoy, who had the tense look of a hunted animal. Delphinia fought the urge to smirk at his distress. Lucius hadn’t been declared dead yet, only missing, but it was only a matter of time.

Deputy Headmistress McGonagall said a few words, although thankfully it really was only a few words. The official funeral would be in the morning, and that was when the Ministry officials, foreign dignitaries, wellwishers and other guests would arrive. That was when there would be long eulogies and people crying and all of the public enactment of grief. Delphinia half wished they could give it a miss, but knew that doing so would be politically unwise. 

Sarpedon woke them early the next morning, and Delphinia rose to change and dress him. She and Tom had argued at first over the care of their firstborn, but eventually Tom had understood the wisdom of letting Delphinia parent as she wished, and she wished to be involved with her child’s life. The idea of leaving the feeding and dressing and care of her son to elves was utterly abhorrent to Delphinia, and it still rankled with her that Tom had even suggested such a thing. She had assumed during the pregnancy that with his upbringing, Tom would desire to give their children all the love and attention possible.

For today, she dressed Sarpedon in mixed greens, both the deep green of life and death that was expected for funerals, and also the darker green of House Slytherin. She dressed herself similarly, then opened her jewelry casket and selected a few golden heirlooms. Once she had her jewels on, she snapped for an elf and requested porridge for Sarpedon, then warded him onto the sofa and sat beside him. She fed Sarpedon deftly, thankful as usual for the spells that kept him from making a mess of them both. 

By the time Delphinia finished feeding Sarpedon, Tom was awake and dressing. Delphinia handed their son off for a bit to do her makeup, then took him back and went on Tom’s arm down to the Great Hall for breakfast. The same chairs as the evening before were arrayed for the Heirs of Hogwarts, and Delphinia ate carefully. Morning sickness hadn’t set in yet, but she knew it wouldn’t be long before it did. 

The meal was quiet, even the morning mail arriving in subdued fashion. Dumbledore might be Tom’s enemy, and his power much lessened over the past years, but it was still the end of an era. The students talked quietly, their heads bowed together, and as the meal went on, families began to arrive to pay their respects. At midmorning, the carillon high above the school began to ring. First, it rang out thrice, for a wizard had died, then eleven times, paused, then rang five more on the highest of the seven bells in the tower to signify the deceased age in decades and then years. 

McGonagall rose, and picked up a handbell that had been resting in front of the draped chair at the center of the table. She rang, and the hall slowly emptied. The dignitaries lingered in the entry hall, watching as the four pallbearers, including Dumbledore’s brother Aberforth, his friends Elphias Doge and Septimus Weasley, and Severus, shouldered under the handles of the magically lightened catafalque. The entire edifice was carefully lifted, then carried slowly down the front steps. 

The students lined the path, and as the bier passed, they raised and lit their wands. The heavy doors swung shut with a muffled thump behind the dignitaries, and overhead the seven bells of Hogwarts began their half-muffled quarter-peal. Delphinia shivered slightly as the body was laid on an open carriage drawn by six thestrals. The skeletal horses lurched into motion, leading the procession down the wide lawn to the edge of the lake, and McGonagall leading them with the chiming of her handbell. 

At the edge of the lake, the pallbearers lifted the catafalque down again, and raised their wands over it. Together they began to chant, and white marble was conjured up around the catafalque. It was an ostentatious thing, in that perfectly matching the persona of the deceased. Finally, with a last glimmering sparkle, the tomb fully encased Dumbledore’s corpse, and the pallbearers retreated, wan and exhausted. McGonagall stepped forward into the stillness left by the last echoing peal of the bells, and in her firm tones began the first eulogy.

For hours people stepped forward and spoke at length of how Dumbledore had inspired them or touched their lives. Delphinia started tuning out halfway through McGonagall’s speech, and spent most of the next few hours trying to keep Sarpedon quiet. Finally she cast a sleeping charm on him, then charmed him feather light and settled him in her arms. Not the best parenting perhaps, but she didn’t trust anyone else to watch her son. 

Thankfully the service ended before mid-afternoon, although Delphinia was already quite hungry and grumpy. All those in attendance were invited to return to the castle for a reception, and as Delphinia had half expected, it turned into a boisterous wake as the less decorous stories of Dumbledore were polished off and brought out. Tom and Delphinia, thankfully, didn’t stay long. They ate, they socialized a bit, and then Delphinia released the sleeping charm on her son and used him as her excuse to find her way back up to the suite Severus had secured for them. Tom followed within the hour.

“Minerva will finish the year as Headmistress,” Tom related as he closed the door. “There will be a Slytherin seat open on the Board, and one of ours will fill it. We’ll have Severus installed as the next Headmaster by September, and we’ll be changing up the curriculum and so forth as well.” Delphinia nodded, finishing her undressing and going to bed preparations. 

“And Severus wishes to be Headmaster?” Delphinia asked, because Severus was hers. Tom would never think to ask, never consider whether Severus wished one thing or another, and Severus would never disobey, because he viewed Tom’s orders as Delphinia’s wishes, and would never question her.

“Tom?” Delphinia pressed, when her question was met with a yawning silence. She looked back over her shoulder, found Tom standing near the wardrobe in a characteristic sulk. _How can he be so powerful, so wise_ , she wondered at times like this. He was such a _child_. She sighed. “He will be good at it, because he would dare nothing else, but will it not - he is not an administrator Tom. He is a researcher.”

“I will have this school under my control,” Tom bit out.

“And so you shall, but why not identify the person best for the task?” Delphinia said tiredly. She did not want to argue. The last thing they needed on this long, awful day, was a disagreement.

“Fine, you do it then,” Tom hissed, and Delphinia blinked, turning the thought over in her mind. She had already made education ‘her’ issue in society, advocating for early education and better introduction of first generation witches and wizards, and muggle raised half-bloods. 

“I would need to be out of the home a great deal if I took it up,” Delphinia said seriously but carefully, unsure if he meant her personally, or for her to find the best candidate. Either would require quite a bit of time.

“Fine,” Tom said sharply, and turned with a flare of his robes. He stalked from the room, the heavy door thudding closed behind him. In his cot, Sarpedon fussed, and Delphinia sighed softly in resignation.

“Hush now darling,” Delphinia crooned, reaching down to settle Sarpedon. She stroked his back gently. Could she do it? Tom had obviously spoken in anger, but the idea wouldn’t leave her be. To run Hogwarts as she wished. She could fix all the things that had troubled her in her brief attendance, make things better, easier. The professors, she knew, were over worked. She’d need to see the budgets, the bylaws, everything. With a sigh, Delphinia went to the small writing desk and pulled out her travel writing set.

> _Severus,_
> 
> _As I’m sure you remember, Tom has suggested you as Headmaster, and while I have every confidence you could readily fill this post should you wish to, I would like your honest opinion on the matter. I’m afraid I’ve rather annoyed him by suggesting you might gain more pleasure in being able to research at your leisure, rather than taking on the responsibility of remaking this institution. As a result he has tossed the whole mess in my lap, so I am asking you, not as your Lady nor as the one you so zealously protect: Would you truly enjoy the title, responsibilities, duties, and yes, privileges, of Headmaster of Hogwarts? Please join me for tea at your leisure if you wish to discuss the matter. I’m certain you have myriad other demands on your time though, so I shan’t press you as yet._
> 
> _With affection,_
> 
> _Delphinia_

Folding the missive up and sealing it, Delphinia went to the floo and sent it through to Severus’ quarters. Not sure if he would join her, or if Tom would return, she finished changing into her nightgown, long and flannel due to the lingering spring chill this far north. Overtop she shrugged into a warm woolen house robe, then sent for some tea. Even if Severus didn’t come, it would help her settle her mind.

The floo chimed softly some time later, and Delphinia cast the detection charms by habit. _Severus Snape_ scrolled in magelight above the mantle, and so she unwarded the floo to allow him entry. Severus stepped gracefully from the hearth, still in his black and green formal robes. The bit of colour looked quite good on him, as a change from unbroken black, although it perhaps wasn’t his best shade, making his pallid skin look even more sallow. 

“My Lady,” Severus greeted, going to his knees, and Delphinia scoffed, waving off the obedience as she always did for him.

“None of that Severus, as well you know,” Delphinia chided kindly. “Sit, please.” He obeyed, settling himself into a chair and helping himself to tea when she waved him negligently toward the pot. “I know Tom said he’d make you Headmaster, but is that something you truly want?” She asked without preamble. “If it is, I shall be glad to see you in the post. But I want you to think carefully about it. I want you happy Severus.” Severus flushed slightly, looking at his hands, and the delicate teacup he cradled.

“It is not a position I have ever aspired to,” Severus said carefully. “But then, I did not intend to become a professor, either.”

“Do you enjoy teaching in the least?” Delphinia asked somewhat dubiously. Severus shook his head silently, cheeks spotted with hectic colour. Delphinia sighed. “If you could do anything in the world, what would it be?”

“I’d probably do research,” Severus admitted after a long silence. “Potions, spells, the origins of magic, all of it. We both know I much prefer books to people. I might perhaps take an apprentice or two, people who were dedicated to the subject, but that is a very different manner of teaching than in a classroom.” Delphinia nodded, then sighed. 

“I should be sorry to lose you, but if that is your wish, I shall do my best to grant it,” Delphinia said with quiet warmth. “I will lean on you until the school is reformed though. I shall need your expertise.”

“You know well, my Lady, that I shall be glad to assist you in any way you wish,” Severus returned, his low tones warm. Delphinia smiled at that, and flushed. She rose, setting down her teacup, and went to Severus, leaning over to embrace him gently. He stiffened at first, then carefully returned the embrace. 

“You are a dear friend Severus,” Delphinia said, and brushed her lips to his thin cheek. Severus flushed at the affection, but tightened his arms around her in silent reciprocity before letting go and fiddling awkwardly with his hands. With an indulgent look, Delphinia returned to her seat, and summoned the very basic notes she had begun earlier, directing them to Severus. “These are only the barest of beginnings, I would have your input.” Severus nodded, summoning her quill and ink, and they sat quietly for the next while, Delphinia decompressing from her long day while Severus scratched away at her notes.

“You should arrange to speak individually to the other Heads of House,” Severus said after a while. “My loyalties have always been suspect in their eyes, and Dumbledore filled their ears with all sorts of nonsense about his Lordship. While your name and fame will grant you certain indulgences, they will wish further assurances that the school will not become some sort of Dark Arts training ground, that there will be fair and even instruction, not indoctrination into the pureblood belief system.”

“I can understand that,” Delphinia said, then sighed. “They would distrust me so? Even after the strides we have already made?” She asked, and Severus rose and crossed to her, kneeling and taking her thin hands. 

“My Lady, your praises have been sung from every battlement, but this is a time of uncertainty. They only ask reassurances,” Severus promised sincerely, and Delphinia smiled tiredly at his earnestness. Reaching out, she gently trained his hair behind his ears, then leaned down to kiss his high forehead. 

“I trust your word Severus, if nothing else,” Delphinia promised, inducing a torrid flush.

“You honour me, my Lady,” Severus said quietly. “I am, as ever, at your command, in this, as in all things.” Delphinia smiled at that, cupping his cheek and leaning down to kiss his forehead again in benediction.

“You deserve every honour Severus,” Delphinia said gently. “You have earned my trust many times over.” She smiled in delight as Severus managed to flush even further. She delighted in causing her devoted servant to show emotion, even if it was discomfort at praise. But she truly had nothing but praise for Severus since she’d claimed him as her own. He was a most dedicated and loyal follower, and had become much more than that. While she had acquaintances, it was impossible for her to trust them due to her position. She had few friends, and Severus was the most loyal of them.

The next few months were - interesting - for Delphinia. She had the initial, uncomfortable part of pregnancy to get through, and she was also reviewing innumerable old laws, bylaws, and charters, untangling centuries of mismanagement and biases woven into school policy. Hogwarts’ finances were in terrible shape, as were sections of the castle itself, and the castle wards. Delphinia spoke frequently and at length with the goblins, and with the press, and with anyone else who would listen. She sank over a thousand galleons of her own money into a fund for Hogwarts, then challenged others to do the same. 

All in all, it was a rather unpleasant summer. The amount of work meant that Delphinia spent far less time with her beloved son, and she was frequently annoyed with her husband. Part of it was her pregnancy hormones to be sure, but much more of it was his unreasonable demands, his sweeping declarations that were impossible to enforce, his overlarge expectations. 

Finally, when August was half gone, Delphinia heard back from a highly respected educator she had contacted months previous. Shilpi Singh ran the second largest academy of magic in the British Isles, the London Witches Day School. She was very highly recommended by everyone Delphinia had spoken to, and Delphinia had been trying to set up a meeting since a few weeks after Dumbledore’s death. They arranged a sit down, and Delphinia left the meeting having made the offer for Mrs. Singh to take over the position of Headmistress of Hogwarts. 

Three days before the start of term, Shilpi Singh was announced as the new Headmistress. Other new teachers, and the broadened and altered curriculum had been announced in dribs and drabs over the summer as Delphinia slotted things into place. Along with finding a new Head, Delphinia had also re-worked the staffing so that the House Heads weren’t professors of required courses. Severus had actually wished to retain the position of Head of House, and Delphinia was well aware that he wasn’t suited to teaching introductory potions. She had hired someone new for specifically that purpose, along with introductory instructors for the other major courses where necessary.

Pomona Sprout had argued the most at the decision that a Head of House couldn’t also teach a required course. She loved both aspects of her job. But it really was too much work for any one person. The restriction also allowed those professors who wished to take on apprentices, and freed up more time for the Heads to take care of House duties, such as mediating disagreements and ensuring that everyone was coping well with their workload. 

A number of new electives would be offered, and all the professors, even those who had been on staff for decades, were required to take professional development courses over the summer in things that were standard for muggle schools, such as no tolerance policies and reporting for abusive situations. Health classes were now on the curriculum, mixed into a required course on practical magic that would cover things like how to open an account at Gringotts, household magic, magical transportation, and other conveniences that most muggleborns and even some purebloods didn’t know about. 

Given the incremental rate of change in the wizarding world, Delphinia’s overhaul of Hogwarts was rather staggering. What was even more incredible was that with the funds she had raised, she was able to ensure that every magical child who wished could attend Hogwarts. Before, although Delphinia had only learned it recently, Hogwarts had been reserved for the muggleborn, halfbloods able to secure a scholarship, and purebloods belonging to the Sacred 28. Which left a lot of people out, given the limited number of scholarships. But by broadening the acceptance and lowering the tuition and fees, Delphinia was able to offer more scholarships, and also to give them to families that might not have qualified before.

“This is _not_ what I meant,” Tom hissed the morning the hiring of Headmistress Singh was in the _Daily Prophet_. Delphinia looked up at him through her lashes, weighing her options. 

“Would you have preferred I become Headmistress myself, take on that burden while I am pregnant with our second child and have the raising of your heir?” Delphinia asked in a misleadingly placid tone. Tom scowled at her, knowing well that her question wasn’t really a question. He didn’t trust anyone else with the children. “She will do well,” Delphinia said with certainty. Tom huffed and stood gracelessly, his chair scraping back against the wood floor. He stalked from the room steaming in anger, and Delphinia sighed, reaching over to gently wipe some mashed bananas from Sarpedon’s chubby cheek. “Your daddy is a very silly man,” she murmured, then finished her own breakfast. 

The result of Tom’s anger was splashed across the front page of the next morning’s paper. _**SMITH SLAUGHTER!!! HEIRS OF HUFFLEPUFF KILLED IN HOME INVASION!!!!**_ The Dark Mark hadn’t been left at the scene, and according to the report, the house was trashed. Despite having no evidence whatsoever, Delphinia knew who the culprit was immediately. The victims were tied to Hogwarts, and moreover, it eliminated a powerful family who politically opposed Tom and his ideas. Their deaths made Delphinia’s stomach churn though, and she stood hurriedly to rush to the loo. 

“I thought it quite restrained,” Tom said coolly when Delphinia returned, and she looked at him appraisingly. 

“It served no purpose,” Delphinia bit out finally, unwilling to guard her tongue in this moment.

“And yet your precious Headmistress survived,” Tom snarled, and a cold wash of fear nearly set Delphinia trembling. 

“You left Hogwarts to me,” Delphinia hissed, marshalling her fear and gathering it close. “It is mine. Let me run it as I see fit.” Tom looked at her, his face flat and placid. Finally, he simply rose and left the room, the newspaper a crumpled mess on the table. Delphinia took a shuddering sigh, then lowered her face into her hands and silently wept.

On the first of September, Delphinia set her shoulders and raised her chin. Blindly she took Tom’s arm, and she walked into the Great Hall, then up the long central aisle. At the head table, all the professors had risen as the doors opened, and the students rose as well, staring in silence as Lord and Lady Peverell made their way through the grand chamber. Delphinia was visibly pregnant now, though only just. Her robes were sedate as befit an academic, but still expensive and elegant, as befit a Lady of her elevated position. 

Tom escorted Delphinia to the Heir of Gryffindor’s chair near the center of the table, and stood in front of the Slytherin chair at her side. Delphinia swallowed thickly, looking over the students. They were so few. That would be one of the things that was changed, she hoped. Not all of her changes could be imposed immediately, some had to be done incrementally. Class size was one of those things, and moreover was affected by factors other than the cost of tuition. Her own year at Hogwarts had been one of the smallest in recorded history, since so few people had been willing to bring children into a world at war.

Professor McGonagall, now only Deputy Headmistress and no longer Transfiguration professor or Head of Gryffindor, placed the hat on the stool. It sang its song as was customary, and then McGonagall began to call the roll of incoming students. There were nearly a hundred in this year’s class of firsties, four times as many as had matriculated with Delphinia. Before the threat of Grindelwald in the 1940s, and the increasing hysteria about blood purity, there had regularly been classes of a hundred or even two hundred students. According to Delphinia’s research, the largest class ever recorded graduated 593 students, and had started with over 600, although some left after their OWLs.

A soft, heavy clunk sounded close by, and Delphinia looked down as she felt her husband’s magic waft redolently up toward her. Delphinia’s eyes widened as her eyes caught on the golden chalice set before her. She swallowed thickly, recognizing it. Horcrux. She reached out, casually sipping at the water. When the goblet was closer to her face, she noted it really was a pretty thing, and - oh. 

Engraved with a badger. Helga’s famed cup, and he’d just casually set it down in front of her in the midst of the Welcoming Feast. Delphinia couldn’t even glare at him since they were in public. She wanted very much to glare at him. Instead she ate and drank and conversed politely with the new Headmistress. No one else seemed aware of Tom’s magic permeating the hall. Severus, Delphinia thought, must feel it, but he was too well practiced of an infiltrator to give himself away now.

When the feast was completed, the Headmistress invited all the staff, and their ‘honoured guests’ Lord and Lady Peverell to have an after supper cup of tea together. Delphinia politely begged off, blaming her delicate condition. Tom used Delphinia as an excuse, and casually snagged the cup with a single long pale finger as they rounded the table to leave. 

The constant exposure to Tom’s magic as they walked out of the castle and the rode in the Thestral drawn carriage to the gates had Delphinia panting by the time they left the Hogwarts wards. She mewled in desperate pleasure as Tom pulled her close, and a moment later they were in their suite at home. Tom dumped Delphinia on the bed and rucked up her robes, tossing her legs over his shoulders as he bent close. He sniffed eagerly, rubbing his face against her soaking core. 

Delphinia moaned eagerly, frotting against Tom’s face. His nose parted her labia and rubbed over her entrance then her clitoris. He inhaled deeply, getting a nose full of her musk before he drew his tongue over her desire swollen lips. Delphinia whimpered as his strong, wet tongue plunged into her, fucking her slickly. With his magical presence doubled by the horcrux, Delphinia came hard and fast, squirting as she thrashed in her husband’s hold. 

Tom withdrew slightly, panting, then fumbled up his own robes and sank into Delphinia without another word. Delphinia howled as her still spasming vagina was speared open around Tom’s thick erection. He leaned close over her, nuzzling against her face and smearing her own juices on her skin. Tom was hissing gibberish, Delphinia realized distantly, or maybe it was something sensible, but she was simply too disoriented with pleasure to understand. 

Delphinia clung to Tom’s broad shoulder, whimpering and mewling as he fucked her deep and hard. Tom hissed and growled, and then the feeling of his magic was swelling, was singing into her skin and tearing her apart. Delphinia barely saw the black wraith as it rushed into Tom, as she was rather too busy screaming in delirious orgasm.

**Author's Note:**

> This is supposed to be somewhat creepy, let me know if it succeeded. Delphinia’s relationship with Tom is _not_ okay. He kidnapped her when she was twelve, and kept her dependant on him, kept her worldview shuttered and limited. Hopefully you can see her growing up a bit in this installation, although she’ll never be a saint.


End file.
